Mobile mount for heavy artillery



M. WILDRICK.

MOBILE MOUNT FOR HEAVY ARTILLERY- APPLICATION HLED on. 6, 1911. RENEWED JUNE 3. 1920.

5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

M. WILDRICK.

MOBILE MOUNT FOR HEAVY ARTILLERY.

APPLICATION man 0dr. s. 19H. RENEWED JUNE 3. I920.

Patented 15, 1921.

5 SHEETSSHEET 2 M. WILDRICK.

MOBlLE MOUNT FOB HEAVY ARTILLERY. APPLICATION 'FILED on. 6. 1917. RENEWED wuE 3. 1920.

1,371,962. Patented Mar. 15, 192 1.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

M. WILDRICK.

MOB'ILE MOUNT FOR HEAVY ARTILLERY.

APPLICATION man. OCT. 6. 1917. RENEWED sun: 3, razo.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

5 SHEET$SHEET 5.

euro STATES P T T OFFICE MEADE WILDRICK, or THEUNITED STATES ABMY, ASS1GN ORIOF one-HA F fro OSCAR I. smarter, 01? THE UNITED STATES ARMY.

MoBILn MOUNT non HEAVYARTILIQERY. 7

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar, 15:,

Application filed October 6, 1917, Serial No. 195,120. Renewed June 3, 1920. I Serial No. 386,287

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known. that I, MEADE \VILnnIoK, of

the United States Army, a citizen of the" United States, stationed at Fort Monroe, 1n-

the countyof Elizabeth City and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mobile Mounts for 7 Heavy Artillery; and I do hereby declare.

the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to improvements in mobile mounts for heavy artillery. It is eminently desirable that heavy artillery should be readily trans-ported from place to place and properly and readily mounted'as dations prepared and have the cement or,

concrete set; and when heavy artilleryis advancing into the enemys country the preparation of such emplacements is generally impracticable.

According to my present invention I pro vide a movable platform which may be transported by rail or auto cars from place to place, and which may be quickly mounted upon the ground. which may be quickly leveled therefor, and then I run the gun and its mount upon this portable platform small guns, the gun and racer may be both placed onplatform car or carriage.

My invention will be moreclearly understood after reference to the accompanying drawings in which v Figure 1 shows the gun mounted on railroad trucks, and the gun platform mounted on another pair ofrailroad trucks figures.

Fig; 2 shows the gun and its mount V mounted on one set of auto trucks, and the gun platform mounted on another set "of auto trucks; V

Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of theplatform in place with the gun run up thereon, but before the trucks have been removed, parts. being shown as broken away;

Fig. etis a plan view showing the gun and mount. in place, partsbeingbroken away;

Fig. 5-shows' a section along the broken line 55 of Figs. 3 and4, and looking in w the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 shows a section along the line 6 of Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows, parts being shown on a larger scale thaninFig.1;

Fig. 7 shows theplatform car with the racer traversing system as apart of it instead of as apart of the gun'car'riage car as shown in Fig. 1; and K p Fig. 8 shows the gun-mounted directly on the platform car or carriage for use with small guns,'where the extra weight will not 7 beexcessive. j 1

The gun 1, constituting a heavy piece of ordnance, is mounted on a carriage 2, which in'turn is mounted on the platform 3 sup ported-in position by the "base ring 4, having thev flange 5 bolted to the foundations provided in the emplacement, which will be hereinafter described.

In Fig. 1 the gun and its carriage are shown as temporarily supported. on two trucks 7 traveling on the rails 10; while in in Fig. 2 the gun and its mount are shown as supportedon traction wheels 7, traveling on a roadbed 10 Except for the supporting. means there is no difference be tween the constructionsshown in the two The method of supporting the gun on the trucks and removing the trucks therefrom is fully described in my Patent 1,311,786, of July 29, 1919, and will not be described in detail herein. i

The auxiliary platform on which the gun and the gun platform are rotatably mounted comprises a main frame 11 mounted on the trucks 12, as shown in F ig. 1, or-upon the traction wheels 12*, as shown in Fig. 2. Except for the mode ofsupporting this aux- .iliary platform when being transported fromplace to place, the'structure is substantially the same inboth Figs. ;1 and 2.

. are s ecured to the heavy plates provided The main frame 11 base downwardly projecting central portion 11?, and down:

wardly projecting lugs ll near its ends,

and also downwardly projecting slotted members :13, provided with laterally projecting arms 13 p I The arms 14L are hinged as at 1% to these parts- 11 and 13, as shown in Fig. 3, and

with holding members or spades 16 on the ground face, when. in the lowered position as shown in Figs. 3'and' IThese plates 15' are also provided with holes 17, through 15. when'the latter are in the distended position, by means of the bolts 20, as shown inFig.5.

The plates 15 are raised when it is desired 'to move the auxiliary. platform by ring bolt means of the .taclrlesi22, connected to the head of the derrick 23,:wh1'ch derrlck consists of two members hinged together as at 233, and having their feet bolted-as at 24: to, the main iramell. -After the. plates 15 are lowered to the position shown in Figs. l and the. tackles are disengaged from the eyebolts 22; and the arms are removed from the main frame so as to permit the moving of the gun and its mount upon the auxiliary platform and the training of the gun after it is mounted thereon.

When in transport the main frame ll, and the parts carried thereby, are supported at each end on the trucks shown in Fig. 6, in. which 36 represents L-sheped sliding locks which engage the downwardly projecting members 1'1 on the. main frame. The inner ends of these blocks support the 32 when in the position shown in n 6, but who-nit desired to lower the main frame 11, with the parts carried-thereby. as when the auxiliary platform arrives at the emplacement for the gun, the main frame 11 is lifted by means of the jacks 34 carried by the truck 12, as fully described in my Patent 1,311,786, of'duly 29, 1919 afore said. Thesebloclrs ,30 may be then moved outward by means of the screws 31, in which eventthe lugs 11" of the main frame freely project down between said blocks 80. as shown in Fig. f 1 1 Above the king bolt 32 is provided a plate 35 and a door 36, and by liftingthe door and.

removing this" plate the king bolt may be lifted out entirely ifdesired.

The outer ends of these'loclz m arms are areferabl rsecured to the Jlates V worm gear 31,

' 37, shown in Figs 3 and i, represents a ramp or inclined planev on .which the gun mount'may be run on to the auxiliary platform when" thelatter is in the operative position as shown in Figs. 3 and e.

' The upper part of the main frame ll is provided with grooves 38 to guide the wheels of the trucks on which the gun platform is supported; After the auxiliary platform is all ready to receive the gun and its mount,

the whole is runup the ramp, the wheels of the trucks engaging the grooves 38 until the bolt holes 40 in the flange 5 of the'base ring register with the corresponding bolt holes d1, provided in the webs 42 of the main frame, and when the base ring is in the proper-position the bolts l3 are inserted.

For convenience in inserting these bolts,

end sockets 44 are provided, as shown in I The gunplatforin is connected to the base ringby means of the flange 50, and rotates upon the raccrprovided with -:inti-friction gun bearings .011 its inner face the base ring is provided with a circular rack 52 adapted to engage the pinion 53, which is rotated by the wheel 5%, which may be operated by hand, or many other convenient way 3.21s by a ratchet and pawl hand lever,

such'as is well known inthe art.

By turning this pinion 53 the gun platin'azimuth, as may be desired' 1 The operation of the apparatus is as follows: j

lVhen in transit the gun and the auxiliary ,platforni are mounted either on the railroad trucks shown in F 1g. 1, or on auto trucks as shown in Fig. 2. They may be pulled as separate cars either by a locomotive or a tractor, or coupled together as a single train as desired.

lVhen 1n transit, the gun platform carryinq the base rin is su orted clear of the form is'first leveled. as far as practicable,

and then the auxiliary platform is run up to said emplacement. The wing plates 15 are then lowered into position and the looking arms 18 are swung out and bolted to the plates 15, as at 20, see Fi 5. The derrick 23 and tackle 22 are removed. The main j me ll is lifted slightly by means of jacks Ell so as to permit the supporting blocks 8G to be moved outward, by means of the hand now supported by the acks 34;, and is lowered by niean'sof the jacks 34% until it rests upon the ground. The trucks 12may be allowed to remain in position, or may be withdrawn as desired. The platform is now The platform frame 11 is form maybe traversed,and the gun trained platform 3 is supported on the trucks. 7 or 7, as the case may be. Operate the'jacks 6 causing'their heads 6* to project downward to engage the upper surface of the main frame 11, and by means of these jacks lift the gun platform 3, with the parts carried thereby, high enough to remove the trucks, which may be done in the manner described in my Patent 1,311,786, of July 29, 1919, aforesaid. Then ease up'the pressure on the jacks, lower the base ring,.with the parts supported thereby, to the. main frame and secure it in place by inserting the bolts 43. g

The gun is now ready to be loaded, trained in the desired direction and fired. 1

F or the sake of clearness in the drawings I have omitted the elevating gear, such gear not constituting a part of my present invention, but it will be obvious that any suitable elevating gear may be used if desired.

When the gun 1S elevated as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, the breech pro ects down into the opening'i5, in the gun platform 3, and the gun is brought back to the substantially horizontal position for loading. i In order to remove the gun to another emplacement reverse the operation just described. It ,will be seen that a rigid and broad baseis supplied for the gun mount, which may be readily supported on even soft ground, and the ground: need not be leveled with any special degree'of care. Y

It will be noted that the spades 16 and the stakes 21; will hold the auxiliary platform against being thrown outof place incident to the shock of discharge ofthe gun, and that substantially all the advantages of a concrete emplacement may be secured, and that the auxiliary platform may be in a very short time quickly removed to another emplacement.

It will be obvious that various modifications might be made in the herein described construction, and in the combination and arrangement of parts which could be used without'departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is '1. A mobile mount and emplacement for heavy artillery, comprising a base ring, a gun platform supported'thereon', and a gun tially as described.

carriage and gun mounted on said platform,

trucks supporting the ends 'ofsaid platform,

means for raising 'said'basering and'the parts supported thereon clear of sa1d trucks, and a mobile auxlliary platform comprlsing a main frame and wing plates hinged" thereto,.withmeans for raising and lowering said wing plates and securing the same in the lowered position, substantially as described. i

2. A, mobile mount and emplacement for heavy artillery, comprising a base ring, a gun platform supported thereon, and a gun carriage and gun .mounted on said platform, trucks supporting the ends of said platform, means for raising said base ring and the parts supported thereon clear of said trucks, and a mobile auxiliary platform comprising a main frame and wing plates hinged thereto, with means for raising and lowering said wing plates and securing the same in the loweredposition, truckssupporting the ends of said'main frame, and means for lowering said main frame to the ground while still supported on said trucks, substantially as described.

" 3. A mobile mount and emplacement for heavy artillery, comprising abase ring, a gun platformsupported thereon, and a gun carriage and gunmounted on said platform, trucks'supportmg the ends of sa1d platform,

means for raising said base ring and the.

parts supported thereon clear of said trucks, anda mobile auxlllary'platform comprising amain frame and wing plates hinged thereico to, with means for raising and lowering said wing plates and securing the same in {the lowered position, means for moving said base'ring and the parts jcarried thereby on to said main frame, and meansfor securing said base ring to said main frame, substanat. A mobile mount and emplacement [for heavy artillery, comprising a base ring, a gun platform supported thereon, and gun carriage and gun mounted on said platform, trucks supporting the ends of said platform. means for raising said base ring and'the parts supported thereon clear of said trucks,

and a mobile auxiliary platform comprising a main frame and wing plates hinged thereto, with means for raising and lowering said wing :plates and securing. the same in the lowered position, trucks supporting the ends of said main frame, and means'for lowering said main frame to "the ground while still supported on said trucks, means for moving said base ring and the parts carried thereby on to said mainframe.. and means for securing said base ring to said main frame,-substantially as described. 5. A mobile mount and emplacement for heavy artillery, comprising a base ring, a

gun platform supportedthereon, and a gun carriage and gun mountedpn said platform,

trucks supporting the ends'of said platform, jacks carried by said base ring for raising said base ring and the parts supported there main frame, substantiallyas described.

6. A mobile mount and emplacement for heavy artillery, comprising a base ring, a gun platform supported thereon, and a gun carriage and gun mounted on said platform, trucks supporting the ends of said platform, jacks carried by said base ring 'for'raising said base ring and the parts supported thereon clear of said trucks, and a mobile auxiliary platform comprising a main frame and wing plates hinged thereto, with'nieans for raising and lowering said wing plates and securing the same in the lowered position, trucks supporting the' ends' ofsaid main frame, means for lowering said main frame to the ground while still supported onsaid trucks, means for moving said base ring and the partslcarried. thereby on to said main frame, and means. for securing said base ring to saidmain frame, substantially as described.

7. A mobile mountand emplacement for heavy artillery, comprising a base ring, a gun platform supported thereon, and a gun carriage and gun mounted on said platform, anda mobile auxiliary platform com-j prising a main frame and wing plates hinged thereto, withmeans for raising and lowering said wing plates and securing the same in the lowered position, trucks supporting the ends of said. main frame, means for lowering said main frame to the ground while still supportedon said trucks, means for moving said base ring and the parts carried thereby on to said main frame, and meansfor securing said base ring to said main frame, substantially as described.

8. A mobile mount and emplacement, for heavy art1llery,'compr1s1ng a base ring,"

a gun platform supported thereon, and a gun carriage and gun mounted on said plat- 7 form, and a mobile auxiliary platform comprising a main frame and wing plates hinged thereto, with means for raising and lowers ing said wing plates and securing the same in the lowered position, locking arms hinged to said main frame and adapted to be swung over said wingplates when said plates are in the lowered position. means for moving said base ring and the parts carried thereby on to said main frame, and means for securing said base ring to said main frame, substantially as described. i 9. A mobile mount and emplacement for heavy artillery, comprising a base ring, a gun platform supported thereon, and a gun carriage and gun mounted on said platform, and a mobileauxiliary platform comprising a main frame and wing plates hinged thereto, with means'for raising and lowering said plates and securing the same inthe lowered position, trucks supporting the ends of said main frame, means for lowering said main frame to the ground while still supported on said trucks, locking arms hinged to said main frame and adapted to be swung oversaid wing plates when said plates are in the lowered position, means for moving said base ring and the parts carried thereby said'base ring and the parts supported there- 7 on clear of said trucks, a mobile auxiliary platform, means for moving said base ring and the parts carried thereby on to said auxiliary platform, and means for securing said 'base ring tosaid auxiliary platform, substantially as described. a

11. An auxiliary movable platform for use in emplacements .for heavy artillery, comprising a main frame, wing'plates hinged thereto, means for raising and lowering said wing plates, withlocking arms hinged to saidmain frame and adapted to be swung over and secured to said wing plates, for

locking said wing plates in the lowered position, substantially as described.

12. An auxiliary movable platform for usein emplacements for heavy artillery, comprising a,main frame, wing plates hinged jacks secured to said base ring for raising thereto, means for raising and lowering said I wing plates,'with' locking arms hinged to said main frame and adapted to'be swung over and secured to saidwing plates, for locking said wing plates in the lowered position, said wing plates being provided with spades projecting from the ground side thereof when in the lowered position, substantially as described.

13. An auxiliary movableplatform for use in emplacements for heavy artillery, comprising amain frame, wing plates hinged-thereto provided with perforations adapted to'receive driven stakes, means for raising and lowering said wing plates, with looking arms hinged to said main frame and adapted to be swung over and secured to said wing plates, for locking said wing plates in the loweredposition, substantially as'described. v 14. An auxiliary movable platform for use in emplacements for'heavy artillery,

comprising a main frame, wing plates hinged thereto provided with perforations adapted to receive driven stakes, means for raising and lowering said wing plates, with looking arms hinged to said main frame and adapted to be swung over and secured to said wing plates, for locking said wing plates in the lowered position, said wing plates being provided with spades projecting from the ground side thereof when in the lowered position, substantially as described.

15. An auxiliary movable platform for use in emplacements for heavy artillery, comprising a main frame, jacks for raising and lowering same between the traveling and firing positions, wing plates hinged to said main frame provided with perforations adapted to receive driven stakes, means for raising and lowering said wing plates, with I looking arms hinged to said main frame and adapted to be swung over and secured to said wing plates in the lowered position,

substantially as described.

16. An auxiliary movable platform for use in emplacements for heavy artillery,

comprising a main frame, a racer and traversing system mounted thereon, jacks for lowering and raising said main frame be-- 7 artillery comprlsing a main frame, a racer and traversing system mounted thereon,- a gun and carriage mounted on said racer,

jacks for lowering and raising said main;

frame between the traveling and firing positions, wlng plates hinged to said main frame, means for raising and lowering said wing plates, with locking arms hinged to said main frame and adapted to be swung over and secured to said wing plates in the lowered position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

MEADE WILDRICK. 

